PM accused of Brexit bribery
Theresa May was accused yesterday of trying to bribe Labour MPs to back her Brexit deal in the Commons after she announced a £1.6 billion (NZ$3.1b) fund for struggling communities.
The prime minister declared that ‘‘prosperity has been unfairly spread’’ as she revealed details of the Stronger Towns Fund, which she claimed would create jobs, help to train local people and increase economic activity.
Her comments triggered a backlash from across the political spectrum. Some Conservatives were furious that the money would go mainly to Labour-held areas, and the opposition frontbench accused her of attempted bribery to win backing for her Brexit agreement.
A total of pounds 1 billion will be allocated to English regions, excluding London, on a ‘‘needsbased formula’’. A further £600 million is to be made available through a bidding process to communities in any part of the country.
The largest sum, £281 million, will go to northwest England, where 54 Labour MPs were elected in 2017 and 20 Conservatives won seats. The smallest sum, £25 million, will go to the east of England, where the Tories won 50 seats at the last general election compared with Labour’s seven. The money will be distributed by Local Enterprise Partnerships, which some Tory MPs have campaigned to abolish.
May has been holding private meetings with Labour MPs including John Mann, Caroline Flint and Lisa Nandy, who are considering backing her Brexit deal and had urged her to set up such a fund.
They could be disappointed by the scale of the investment, however. The Times understands that the £1.6 billion will be spread over four years starting from next year, which could amount to only £400 million per year. One Labour MP said that they were expecting ‘‘a one-off payment followed by a commitment in the spending review’’. The MP added: ‘‘If it’s spread over four years instead of one it will make a big difference. They were expecting a lot more.’’
Nandy told The Times: ‘‘This is a long-overdue and welcome recognition that our towns have been inexcusably ignored for decades and people won’t put up with it any longer. It must mark a fundamental change in approach with long-term investment, greater powers and more respect for the millions of people who live outside cities. Without that commitment this announcement, days before a crunch vote for the prime minister, will not persuade people in our towns that the government has heard their concerns and is serious about acting on them.’’
Thirty Labour MPs could back May’s deal if there were a free vote, Flint said. May needs their support, and that of the ten Democratic Unionist Party MPs, to offset the Tory Brexiteers who are likely to oppose her plan.
Parliament is to get a meaningful vote on the deal by March 12.
Downing Street is also trying to woo Labour MPs with promises on the environment and workers’ rights.